Generation Y-Not Take Out?

For me, the question is take out... or not to take out.

During the five years I spent living in Manhattan prior to my European stint, I may have been the queen of take out and delivery. Like many other New Yorkers, I found my life to be so consistently busy that I just couldn't possibly even fathom the idea of cooking after my long, laborious day! So, I had my pile of take out menus of neighborhood restaurants who offered delivery and, of course, my local favorites. I had no problem ordering any and all of my meals, not even flinching at the financial implication. I might have been able to convince you that taking out from a restaurant was actually cheaper than doing the grocery shopping and cooking yourself... you probably would have bought it (my argument, that is). When I did manage to go to the food store (I will leave out the part where I roamed the isles, essentially clueless), I think my produce went bad before I even remembered it was there.

Fast forward to my first night living in Spain with a Spaniard and two Italian girls... We had all just settled in, unpacked our belongings to some degree, claimed a lone drawer in the bathroom vanity and finally started chatting in our small galley kitchen. It was slowly approaching dinner time hour, so I innocently asked, "Where should we go for dinner?" (mind you, this is probably the only sentence I could string together thus far in my Spanish language undertaking). The response of blank stares was remarkable. What I could understand as the response was a confused question of, "You mean, you need to go to the supermarket? We have already gone, and you can eat dinner with us if you like." That was one of many, many realizations that I wasn't in Kansas anymore, and I was in for an adventure.

A number of my fondest memories happened right there in that same small galley kitchen, making lunch or dinner, sitting with my roommates, and laughing at only Dios knows. I quickly learned what was easy to make, what I liked to eat, and way more about nutrition. I can honestly say that I learned how to live a more balanced and nutritious life (in so many ways, but I'm sticking to cooking in this blog). I learned how to cook.

I also learned that eating a meal is not about shoving the food in your face when you get a free moment in hopes that the hunger will dissipate. It is about preparation and enjoyment both of food and life, yet also company. If you slow things down, you might just be amazed at how wonderful everything can be.

Back to the big city... I did vow when I moved back never to order delivery. I felt that if I was in fact too tired from my day to prepare something for myself, and I had not used forethought that previous weekend to have some meals prepped AND I had nothing I could quickly whip up in my refrigerator (I have become really good at that), I could certainly walk to whatever restaurant I craved, and enjoy a meal with a friend. If that didn't sound feasible, I could certainly walk to pick up my dinner- I mean, the delivery person does it... The other half of this argument is that if I had enough time to order and wait for the delivery, I had enough time to make something. What this comes down to is where your priorities lie and what you like to do. I hear so many New Yorkers complain that they just don't have enough time to cook. They start talking about going to the food store, and that takes a half hour and by the time they are home, after making something- they could be eating dinner at midnight! Now, for some professions- I know this is true, but for the vast majority- I don't buy it (again, the argument, that is). Everyone has at least one day off to go to the food store and stock up for the week. And just think- if everyone aligned with these ideas, imagine the sever drop it would cause in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, perhaps even cancer. But a dream is just a dream...

Last night, however, I had the pleasure of hosting my favorite niece/goddaughter. My brother and sister-in-law came over to my humble abode to spend some time together. With a baby, specifically this baby, my whole high road went out the window. It was a little much to take the baby out to a restaurant at 8pm, so we ordered in. (It was sushi, however, and as good a cook I am, there is no way I make anything close to sushi!) I did also walk to the restaurant and place my order there rather than phone it in and wait for it to be delivered. I also think once in a blue moon is not the end of the world.

Moral of the story: everything in moderation.